Headaches, such as migraines, cluster headaches, and occipital neuralgia are often incapacitating and may lead to significant consumption of drugs to treat the symptoms. However, a rather large number of people are unresponsive to drug treatment, leaving them to wait out the episode or to resort to coping mechanisms. For refractive occipital neuralgia, nerve ablation or separation may effectively treat the pain.
Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) may serve as an alternative for treatment of headache. ONS employs an electrical signal generator and a lead operably coupled to the signal generator and configured to deliver the signal to an occipital nerve. A distal portion of the lead is typically implanted in proximity to the occipital nerve such that one or more electrodes of the leads are in electrical communication with the occipital nerve. The proximal portions of the leads may then be connected to the signal generator such that electrical signals can be delivered from the signal generator to the electrodes to apply therapeutic signals to the occipital nerves.
The ability to properly locate the lead and select the proper electrodes of the lead for use in delivering the therapy can present problems or can be challenging. Given the anatomy of the occipital nerve and the configuration of most commercially available electrodes, in which all electrodes are of similar size and are spaced apart at regular intervals, it can be difficult to ensure that an electrical field generated using an electrode of the lead captures the intended nerve without a good deal of time and skill.